Two local archers faced off against one another at the Canadian Outdoor Archery Championships Aug. 8 to 11 in Fredericton, New Brunswick.
Austin Marasco from Fernie and Kurt Lalache from Cranbrook met head-to-head in the final U18 match of Canadian nationals.
They had an identical score in the semi-finals, but Marasco secured the gold medal win with a final score of 142 to 129.
The tail end of Hurricane debby swept the east coast during the competition, making weather conditions less than ideal. The event was delayed an hour due to thunder and lightening, and Marasco and Lalache had to shoot in rainy conditions with reduced visibility, but the two Kootenay athletes doubled down and played their best.
"I was just trying to stay calm, breathe, trying not to get the shakes, get my hand in the right place," said Marasco.
Lalache knocked out Justin Gauthier from Quebec in the semi-finals prior to playing Marasco. Gauthier was ranked in second place when he entered the semi-finals and was favoured to win the round, but Lalache played a strong game and managed to edge above Gauthier by one point towards the end of the match.
"He had already finished his last shot and I had one shot left and I had to shoot a nine to win," Lalache recalled.
Lalache managed to make up the distance in an incredibly close final few minutes.
Marasco won his earlier matches by a sizable margin, besting two Ontario opponents by more than six points each time. In the qualifying rounds, he achieved a score of 688, which was the second highest at the whole event.
Lalache and Marasco said they were surprised to find themselves up against one another in the finals. Both of them are trained by Kevin Evans and have practiced together before.
"I think going against another kid from B.C, that was pretty funny. We're pretty good friends now," said Marasco.
Marasco's goal is to make Team Canada next year and shoot U18 at the World Archery Championships.
Lalache is aiming for a triple crown award, which is given to an archer who medals at three provincial events. He said he's hoping to get his final medal at the 3D provincials in Prince George in just a few weeks.